Mick Fowler

He is internationally noted for his alpine climbing and was awarded the Piolet d'Or three times, with Paul Ramsden, in 2003, 2013, and 2016, for alpine-style first ascents of faces in the Himalayas.

In 1976, Fowler became one of the first climbers in Britain to make a first free ascent (FFA) of a traditional climbing route at the E6-grade of difficulty when he freed Linden on the "Eliminates Wall" at Curbar Edge.

[9][10] After the success of the "Golden Pillar", Fowler continued to focus on making important alpine-style ascents of high-altitude Himalayan new routes including the Northeast Buttress of Taweche (1995) and the Northwest Face of Arwa Tower (1999).

[11] In 2003, Fowler and climbing partner Paul Ramsden, won the Piolet d'Or for their 2002 alpine-style ascent of the Northwest face of Siguniang;[12] they were the first British climbers to win mountaineering's most prestigious award.

Fowler won the Jon Whyte Award for Mountain Literature at the 2005 Banff Mountain Book Festival for On Thin Ice,[17] and a compilation of Fowler's writings about his climbs with Victor Saunders by Eric Vola, titled Les Tribulations de Mick et Vic, won the Grand Prix Award at the Passy Book Festival in France in 2015.

[13][17] In 2005, Chris Bonington elaborated on The Observer poll saying "... it reflected climber approval of his highly original approach to the sport – explorations on chalk sea cliffs, alpine north faces, Scottish crags in winter and summer, and his first expeditions to major ranges which resulted in superb climbs ...".

[13] In 2017, Fowler underwent treatment for anal cancer which required him to use a colostomy bag; however this did not stop him from climbing in the Himalayas in 2019,[22] and on make first ascents of new routes on sea stacks off the Irish coast in 2023.